A 3D Printed H Quadcopter You Control with Your Android Phone

So, you got a 3D printer for Christmas and now you’re ready to put your new toy through the rigors? Instructables contributor and aspiring avionics student Timothy, who goes by “treyes4,” from Paranaque, Philippines has shared his design and instructions for making a 3D printed H Quacopter — because you definitely need another toy! This one is faster and more durable than the standard quads with X- or T-shaped frames, so you’ll be able to do more than just fly the thing around. Your H Quadcopter will potentially do flips, rolls, and other acrobatics, so the rugged construction needs to withstand your learning curve. Also great is the capacity to use your Android phone as your controller, so you won’t need to lug your laptop out to the park or field to fly your aircraft.

Timothy based the design of his H Quadcopter on that of the 250 Blackout Mini Quad. As he seems to be an experienced maker and quadcopter pilot, we feel like this project and the new toy you get at the end of it is a safe bet — although it’s probably a good thing your quadcopter is small-scale and unmanned if you are new at remote-control piloting.

You can get the STL file for the H Quadcopter from Timothy’s Instructables page. If you need the RAW Sketchup file or the DWG file, you can contact him directly. This model is the Blackout 330. The recommended propeller size is 8” x 4.5”. You’ll need a 3s or 4s LiPo (lithium polymer) battery and a 22 x 12 mm motor. Timothy’s site provides detailed supply lists as well as links to websites where you can order necessary parts and materials. The H Quadcopter is not a cheap toy, however. He estimates printing cost at around $56 (in the Philippines). He doesn’t price other items, so you’ll need to be discerning and look for good prices and alternative sources.

As far as tools and materials go, you’ll need to have a pretty respectable extant collection of tools or should be prepared to launch your new maker lifestyle by stocking up on some of the basics like a cordless drill, a soldering iron, some sandpaper, superglue, a 3D printer (if you didn’t get one for Christmas), and assorted screw drivers. You’ll be printing 21 different parts for your H Quadcopter, so consider what color your flying machine will be and stock up on filament for your 3D printer. For hardware you should be able to shop locally but purchasing the electronics parts online seems to be the more cost-effective and quick route.

Timothy makes some specific recommendations with regard to the flight controller, particularly if you’re planning to do acrobatics with your H Quadcopter. He suggests the Multiwii and provides a link to Hobby King, the online store that seems to have been his primary source of supplies specific to remote control aircrafts. In order to control your H Quadcopter by your phone, you’ll be using Bluetooth and Timothy walks you through the programming steps. For iPhone users this project becomes a little more complicated as the maker admits he has no familiarity with Apple devices. Timothy provides an app for Android phones but suggests looking for Multiwii programs if you’ll be controlling your H Quadcopter with an iPhone. When it comes time to calibrate settings (magnetometer and accelerometer in particular) on your phone-controller, check out the link to a helpful Youtube.com video he provides.

After you’ve read the instructions for constructing your own 3D-printed H Quadcopter, be sure to go to The Next Bright Idea site and show your support for this smart young maker and for the open share maker community by voting for Timothy and his high school team (Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati), who are competing to win $50,000 in a contest for young inventors and entrepreneurs. He’s specifically submitted his team’s design for a modular generator. Voting ends on January 6th and the final round of the competition ends January 28!

Lt’s hear your thoughts on this drone. Discuss in the 3D Printed Quadcopter forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out a video of the Quadcopter in action below:

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